-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The jury in the Jodi Arias trial has one decision left to make : Should she live or die ?

After months of dramatic testimony full of so many twists and turns that people lined up for seats in the Phoenix courtroom , jurors began deliberations Tuesday to decide whether Arias should get the death penalty or life in prison for murdering her ex-boyfriend .

Earlier this month , jurors convicted Arias of first-degree murder and found that she was `` exceptionally cruel '' when she killed Travis Alexander in 2008 . She stabbed him 29 times , slit his neck from ear to ear and shot him in the face .

On Tuesday , the same jury that found Arias guilty of murder deliberated for about an hour and a half before adjourning for the day . They are scheduled to come back to court and continue weighing her fate Wednesday at 10 a.m. -LRB- 1 p.m. ET -RRB- .

Arias pleaded for her life to be spared , telling jurors Tuesday that she could teach people to read in prison and make a positive impact on inmates .

She also called the murder of Alexander `` the worst mistake '' she 'd ever made , `` the worst thing I 've ever done . '' She could n't have imagined herself capable of such a grizzly crime . `` But I know that I was , '' she said . `` And for that I 'm going to be sorry for the rest of my life -- probably longer . ''

She told jurors that she had been a victim of abuse as an adult and as a child . She showed several family photos from holidays and vacations . She claimed she was a gentle person who caught spiders in cups and took them outside rather than kill them . And she showed the jurors several pieces of her artwork .

`` I 'm not going to become a mother because of my own terrible choices , '' she said , adding that she would no longer be able to paint with oil , either .

It was a drastic change in tone from less than two weeks ago , when a tearful Arias , minutes after her murder conviction , told a local television station that she wanted to be sentenced to death .

Explaining her decision not to request the death penalty , Arias said Tuesday that her family -- to whom she pointed in the courtroom -- gave her the strength to continue living .

Her previous comments about her desire to die were sincere when she expressed them , Arias said .

`` Each time I said that , though I meant it , '' she said , `` I lacked perspective . ''

She noted she could bring `` people together in a constructive and positive way '' by participating in various programs , including prisoner literacy initiatives , her `` Survivor '' T-shirts , which would benefit victims of domestic violence , and by donating her hair so it could be used to make wigs for sick children .

Beginning about 90 minutes later than scheduled , Arias , 32 , said she never wanted the `` graphic , mortifying , horrific details -LRB- of her and Alexander 's relationship -RRB- paraded out into the public arena . ''

`` It 's never been an intention of mine to malign his name or character , '' she said .

Defense attorney Jennifer Willmott argued Tuesday that Arias ' life should be spared .

`` We 're not talking about whether or not to convict . We 're talking about whether or not to kill . And so when we talk about that , it matters that she was 27 years old and she had no criminal history , '' she said . `` It matters that she had n't done anything wrong in her life befo re that . ''

Prosecutor Juan Martinez said pointing to Arias ' artwork as evidence that her life should be spared was n't a valid defense .

`` It 's an entitlement road that they want you to travel when they talk to you about the fact that she 's a good artist , '' he said . `` It does n't mean anything . All it means is , give her special or preferential treatment . ''

He argued that jurors should sentence Arias to death .

`` You have a duty , and that duty really means that you actually do the honest , right thing , even though it may be difficult , '' he said . `` And in this case ... the only thing you can do based on the mitigating circumstances and their lack of , is to return a verdict of death . ''

During the trial , Arias claimed she killed Alexander in self-defense after he attacked her . After the guilty verdict , she told a local television station that she had no interest in life in prison .

`` I said years ago that I 'd rather get death than life , and that still is true today , '' she told Phoenix television station KSAZ . `` I believe death is the ultimate freedom , so I 'd rather just have my freedom as soon as I can get it . ''

The penalty phase of the trial took a sudden break Monday , when the judge said that proceedings could not continue and that Arias would make the statement to the jury .

The adjournment followed Judge Sherry Stephens ' dismissal of a defense motion for a mistrial and ended a session in which the defense called no witnesses on Arias ' behalf . Also denied was a second request by Arias ' lawyers to withdraw from the case .

Arias , who testified for 18 days during the trial , was not cross-examined after her Tuesday statement , which Stephens said was not under oath .

For Arias to be sentenced to death , the jury 's decision must be unanimous . In the case of a deadlock , a new jury would be chosen for this phase only .

If Arias is given a sentence of death , she would be the fourth woman on death row in the state .

Have n't been following the trial ? Read this

HLNTV.com : Friend of Arias tweeting on her behalf

HLN 's Graham Winch contributed to this report .

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Jurors will continue deliberations on sentencing Wednesday

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Jurors are weighing whether Jodi Arias should receive the death penalty

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The prosecutor says the death penalty is `` the honest , right thing ''

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Arias pleads for her life , saying she could make a difference in prison